


Resistance Rising

by atlanxic



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 15:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11901138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlanxic/pseuds/atlanxic
Summary: No one understand better than Shun that the war against Academia is exactly that: a war.





	Resistance Rising

Shun is on high alert as he creeps back towards their base. Heartland Tower is a fickle shadow of the beacon it once was, but it's still the home of the Resistance, both in spirit and in practice. It's the last standing testament to Heartland City's unique architecture, their only reminder of the joyous place they used to live.

When he had fled from it, for the dozenth time, three days prior, it had been in flames. Today, a slow drizzle washes soot from its curves. The grey sky reflects a certain level of resignation that they all feel. Things are never going to be the same as they were.

Shun sees a different group of rebels walk into the building, one of them limping heavily. He sighs, and crosses the broken pavement of the plaza, following them into the building.

Yuuto jumps up as soon as he enters the building. There's relief on his face, but it's strained. He walks towards Shun.

"Shun!" Yuuto exclaims. "Thank god you're safe."

"Where's Ruri?" Shun replies, not wasting time or pretense.

Yuuto looks away. Shun's skin bursts into pins and needles with anxiety. He grabs Yuuto's shoulders.

"Where's Ruri!" he asks again, louder.

"She," Yuuto starts. "She was taken."

Shun is so angry he can barely see straight, his fingers digging into Yuuto's shoulders with a force he knows must be painful, but it's all he can do to avoid striking him.

"What the fuck do you mean, she was taken?" he asks, enunciating each word.

"I wasn't there," Yuuto replies. He finally looks up at Shun, and there are tears in his eyes. "I swear I would have protected her if I had been there, but we got separated, and-"

"And how do you know what happened next, if you weren't there?" Shun asks, venom dripping from his tongue.

"Sayaka saw it happen," Yuuto replies, his voice small.

"Take me to her," Shun demands, finally letting go of Yuuto's shoulders and casting a look around the room.

Yuuto grabs his upper arm. "Promise me you won't hurt her," he says, equal parts fearful and forceful.

Shun whirls back around towards him, and he's about to say that like hell he won't, but.

But there are tears streaming down Yuuto's face, even as he looks up at Shun with all the determination he can muster.

"I don't want to see anyone else get hurt," Yuuto says, and his voice cracks, just slightly.

Suddenly, Shun feels guilty for his display of aggression. They had done their best. He hadn't been there, either. He had split off from their group two hours after the raid, in an attempt to draw a group of Fusion duelists away from his sister. And it had worked, they followed him, and he took them down, one after another after another.

But he should have circled back around to join up with them. He should have defeated them faster. He should have been there.

He's embarrassed to notice tears running down his own face, others in the room still watching them out of the corners of their eyes after he raised his voice.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I promise. But please, take me to her. I need to know what happened."

Yuuto nods, and leads him towards the stairs.

Heartland Tower used to be full of administrative offices, but now they've all been converted into bedrooms and living spaces, allowing nearly everyone in the Resistance to stay in one easily-defended location. Although lately, with their numbers thinning, defending it has grown an ever more difficult task, and emergency evacuations are increasingly common.

The room that used to be shared by Sayaka and Ruri is on the eighth floor. There's a muffled sobbing coming from behind the door. Yuuto knocks quietly.

"Sayaka, Shun is back," he says, keeping his voice even. "Is it ok if we come in?"

"Yeah," Sayaka replies, after sniffling loudly. When they open the door, they find her sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow, face wet with tears.

Yuuto sits down beside her, and starts rubbing comforting circles on her back. "We're glad you're safe," he tells her.

"I'm sorry," she hiccups. "I'm sorry."

"I don't need your apologies," Shun tells her, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Tell me what happened."

"It," she starts, and then sniffles loudly and rubs her face with both hands. "It was weird."

Yuuto and Shun both look at her, waiting for her to continue.

"They didn't card her," she says. Shun's eyes widen. "I'm sure of it. The person who took her away wasn't wearing Academia's normal uniform, they were in a big cloak, and," she pauses, and casts a nervous glance at Yuuto.

"And they looked just like you," she says. Yuuto tilts his head.

"How is that relevant?" Shun asks, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaims. "It's probably not, it's just. I've never seen two faces more alike. It was uncanny. I thought Yuuto had come back for us at first, but then they smiled and it was the cruelest smile I've ever seen, and they started talking about the Professor, and-"

"Slow down," Shun says. "What did they say?"

"I- I don't remember exactly, but," Sayaka closes her eyes for a moment. "Something about, that the Professor had asked for her, specifically, and that she was to be taken to Academia."

"Academia never takes prisoners," Shun says flatly.

"I know!" Sayaka replies, eyes flying open. "I know they don't, but that's what they said! And then.."

"And then?" Yuuto repeats.

"And then they dueled, and he made that thing appear. I've never seen such a fearsome dragon. It was over in an instant." Sayaka recounts. "Ruri tried to run away, but they caught her and hefted her like a sack of potatoes, and then," She sniffles again, tears starting fresh from her eyes. "And then they were gone, and all I could do was watch!"

Yuuto pulls her into a hug. Shun clenches his fists at his sides.

"I was so useless!" she wails, clinging to Yuuto like a life raft. "I should have dueled them! I should have done something, but all I could do was watch, and now she's.. And now Ruri is gone, and it's all my fault!"

"It's not," Yuuto tells her, rubbing her back. "I would never ask you to enter a duel you can't win. I'm glad you're safe."

"I should have let myself be carded," Sayaka says, bitterly.

"Don't say that," Yuuto tells her. "Don't ever say that."

"If you're responsible, then me and Yuuto bear just as much of the blame," Shun announces. "We weren't even there to witness it."

"But if you guys hadn't been there we would have both been carded by foot soldiers," Sayaka replies. "You're both so strong, and you did so much to protect us, and then I let you down."

"You gave us valuable information," Shun says, firmly. "If Academia was going to card Ruri, they would have done it. Since they didn't, she's still alive, somewhere. We can save her."

"Are you crazy?" Yuuto asks. "There's no way we can just barge into Academia. It would be a suicide mission!"

"That's not what I'm proposing," Shun says. "Hear me out."

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Arc-V rewrite! Hopefully I'll be able to get through the entire thing. @___@ I have big plans for this. I have Shun/Yuuto as a tagged pairing but they're qpp in this, not romantic. That said, the tenderness between them is important to me and is going to be central to this whole thing.


End file.
